BMW secure first triumph as Attiyah surges to victory

BMW secured their first triumph of the 2007 Dakar Rally after Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah surged to victory on the 10th stage in Mauritania.

Al Attiyah completed the 366km stage, a ‘loop’ starting and ending in Nema, in three hours 49 minutes 48 seconds to finish almost half a minute ahead of Mitsubishi’s Hiroshi Masuoka.

The BMW X3 driver, who moves fourth in the overall standings on the back of his stage victory, said the result was a significant achievement for his team, who have struggled against the might of the Volkswagens and Mitsubishis up to this point.